The estate, in the Chinese back county, was one thousand square acres where a small mountain overlooked a deep rocky ravine. A long winding road crept up the mound to a red gate with high concrete walls and watch towers. Rising above the gate sat the massive Asian chateau. It had a red tiled roof with dragon statues peering off into the distance, acting as gargoyles.
In the center courtyard sat Bill McMath and his concubine. They're waiting patiently for the assistant director of the Edon Project to arrive.
A woman in a red floral dress walks onto the lawn. Her black hair is done up in a bun, and her wooden geta sandals slide easily across the grass. She sits on a rug at the small table directly opposite Bill and his blue-eyed companion.
"You will leave us." Said Kokou Jow.
"Of course." Said Lorain 63571. The slender dark-haired woman gets up and makes for the door.
Bill and Kokou wait until the bolt to the heavy wooden door clanks shut.
"Is it true? Has your daughter found a way around our safeguards?" Said Kokou.
"We think so, yes."
"How? I thought our engineers were thorough."
"Yes, they were. But we seemed to have underestimated the mind's desire for the illusion of free will."
"Will she be able to produce offspring who can collapse the equation or not?"
"Maybe. It's all quite perplexing, but the probabilities are decreasing.
"Which means?"
"We're looking into the matter and hope to have a solution soon. The good news is, even though we need more data, my daughter is providing it even as we speak."
"What's the bad news?"
"We could lose a whole generation over this... wrinkle"
"Is she aware that she can only have children with an elite?"
"She suspects, but even if she knows, she's smart enough to go deeper.
"What are you saying? Do we have that control or not!?"
"Well... It's just that those restrictions can be reversed chemically, but it would take an expenditure of around a billion dollars. And it would be very painful for her."
"So, she'll need to find a rich man."
"Exactly. But...
"But what?"
"My Daughter, Tammera, is very attractive."
"Yes, but she'll have to be very pretty to get that kind of money."
"True, but she was designed to be... let's just say ...persuasive."
"So, all is lost? Will we need to liquidate and start over? "
"No, not yet, but there is one more thing."
"Yes?"
"Tammy could produce offspring with a non-elite if the conditions are right."
"Like?"
"Like, if she were to find a man who's genetically perfect."
"Then there's a chance she might have children, naturally?"
"Yes."
"If this were to happen, then how would it affect our plans? Would we still be able to achieve the desired outcome?"
"Unknown. In fact, the variables would increase exponentially, and for all intents and purposes, we would lose predictability."
"Is there such a man?"
"There may be one."
"This is dreadful. Who?"
"James Newman."
"Is she aware of him?"
"She is, but she doesn't know that they're compatible."
"Then, for the good of the project, she must never find out!"
"And then there's the fact that he hasn't shown an interest in her. So we may have lucked out... So to speak."
"So, our goal is to keep these two apart as much as possible."
"Yes, and that may be easier than expected. You see, he works for us."
"Ah, good. What do you plan to do?"
"Keep him busy! Keep him buried underground as much as possible. I'll inform his superiors to keep James down and to double our security. I'm quite sure she'll never get past our safeguards."
"Then all is not lost."
"No, not yet. If we act fast, the chances of my daughter furthering the experiment are even."
"Right! I'll report this back to the central office. You may go."
Bill and his twenty-three-year-old concubine reunite just outside the courtyard walls. They walk through a garden filled with flowers and short-cut grasses.
"Did it all go well?" Said Lorain 63571.
"No, not all. We need tighter controls over the public at large. James Newman may be a walking disaster, but he's a far better choice than some random rich Joe, who's genetically inferior."
"Why don't you just cut her off and be done with it? Start over."
"No, there are the expenditures of time and resources. If we hadn't poured over a billion dollars into her design, it would be easy to let it go. As it is, we must try to salvage what we can. The project doesn't like setbacks."
"So, what are you going to do?"
"We must force her to see how the world really is. Despair can be a very valuable ally"
"I don't know; sometimes life isn't as bad as all that."
"Then we must help her to see the truth. Without the benefits of scientific advancements, humanity remains what it is, an animal. The project is man's only hope for true freedom."
"Yes, but you might end up pushing her away before she can reach the desired conclusion."
"Then we must proceed with care."
"You'll need allies, people she won't suspect."
"And people she thinks we abhor. You won't be vexed if we part here?"
"No, I'll go home and wait for you there."
"On his phone, he turns off her higher functionalities and puts her in the teleport. In a flash, she's away. He then gets on his phone.
"Hello, You've reached the office of Bill McMath. How may I help you?" Said a secretary.
"Get me an interview with the five great fashion houses."
"You want to meet them all at once?"
"No, one at a time."
"Which would you like first?"
"The one that has my daughters' pictures! Please."
YOU ARE READING
In The Shadow Of The Tower
Science FictionTwo super-rich kids grow into young adulthood and struggle with their feelings for one another. She has loved him for quite some time, but he is unsure and needs to figure things out. She is also engineered by her father's company to love someone el...
